Skin
by Dede42
Summary: How can one person be in two places at once? This is a question that Sam, Dean, and Liz will have to answer when one of Sam's friends is framed for murder. While they be able to stop whoever or whatever is killing women in St. Louis? Stay tune!
1. Chapter 1

Supernatural: Skin

A/N: Hello, everyone! Since we all have to wait until April 15 for the next episode of _Supernatural_, I've decided to update.

I know that it's been a while, but I've been busy with homework and work. Sigh.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

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><p><p>

**CHAPTER ONE: TWO PLACES AT ONCE?**

St. Louis, Missouri

The chair in the bedroom had seen better days, as had the girl who was currently tied to it. She was breathing hard through her nose and desperately pushing at the gag over her mouth with her tongue as the man in the shadows contemplated the knife in his hand.

* * *

><p>Outside the house, a S.W.A.T team was making their way to the building; they reached the front door and shot the handle, unlocking it.<p>

Back in the bedroom, the girl tried to scream, but the man covered her mouth to stifle the sound.

The S.W.A.T. team was now searching the house, discovering that the walls and furniture were smeared with blood. They came close to where the girl sat in her chair, but then they entered another room, allowing the man to leave the bedroom and make a bid for an escape.

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><p><p>

After searching the rest of the house, the team entered the bedroom and found the blonde girl. One of the men immediately moved forward to untie her.

"It's okay," he assured her. "It's okay."

Gasping and crying, the girl immediately pointed to the room across the hall. "In there! In there!" she shouted.

The S.W.A.T team moved to the other room, and the man was there, trying to open a pair of doors leading to a balcony.

"Freeze! Don't move!" one of the S.W.A.T officers ordered, his rifle at the ready. "Drop the knife. Keep your hands where I can see 'em. Drop it! Hold it right there! Do it!"

The man raised his hands over his head, still holding the knife, and turned around, revealing Dean Winchester's serious face.

* * *

><p><p>

GAS STATION

One Week Earlier…

Sam, Liz, and Dean pulled into the station.

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight," Dean said, getting a nod from Liz, but noticed that Sam didn't seem to be listening and was staring at the screen of his cell phone. "Sam wears women's underwear," he added, prompting Liz to slug him in the shoulder.

"I've been listenin', I'm just busy," Sam said, still staring at the screen and tapping it with an electronic pen.

"Busy doin' what?" Dean asked, curious.

"Reading e-mails," Sam answered.

Dean rolled his eyes, got out of the car, went around to grab the hose, and started to fill the tank with gas. "E-mails from whom?" he asked, wondering whom Sam could be possibly getting emails from.

"From my friends at Stanford," Sam responded, earning an impressed look from Liz.

"You're kidding," Dean said with disbelief. "You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Well, what exactly do you tell 'em?" Dean asked, skeptical. "You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"

"I tell 'em I'm on a road trip with my big brother and my big sister," Sam answered. "I tell 'em I needed some time off after Jess."

"Oh, so you lie to 'em," said Dean, moving around to car to Sam's side.

Sam shook his head. "No. I just don't tell 'em… everything."

"Yeah, that's called lying," Dean stated, leaning against the side of the car. "I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse."

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asked and Dean just shrugged. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period," Dean stated.

"Dean, leave Sam alone," Liz scolded, frowning. "He can have friends if he wants to," he added.

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam asked while grateful for Liz's words.

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. And you're just as anti-social as me," he threw at his twin. Liz just rolled her eyes.

Sam went back to reading his e-mails and paused at a certain one, reading the text. "God…" he whispered, his eyes going wide.

"What?" Dean and Liz both asked.

"In this e-mail from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine," Sam said, frowning.

"Is she hot?" Dean asked, leaning through the window to look, but Sam ignored him.

"Focus, Dean," said Liz, annoyed with his attitude at the moment.

"I went to school with her, and her brother, Zack," Sam explained. "She says Zack's been charged with murder. He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case."

"That's horrible," Liz gasped.

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Dean asked jokingly.

"No, man, I know Zack," Sam stated, now very concerned. "He's no killer."

Dean was skeptical. "Well, maybe you know Zack as well as he knows you," he commented, not seeing the point of all this.

Sam ignored that comment, his mind was made up. "They're in St. Louis. We're goin'," he declared, looking directly at Dean, surprising Liz.

Dean chuckled and shook his head, bemused. "Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem," he stated.

"It is our problem," Sam retorted. "They're my friends."

"St. Louis is four hundred miles behind us, Sam," Dean protested, but Sam gave him the "look", and Dean sighed.

A minute later, they pulled out of the gas station and started driving toward St. Louis.

* * *

><p><p>

Rebecca Warren opened the door to her parents' home in St. Louis and saw Sam, Liz, and Dean. "Oh my God, Sam!" she gasped happily, eyes lighting up from beneath her blonde hair.

"Well, if it isn't little Becky," Sam teased, smiling brightly.

"You know what you can do with that little Becky crap," Rebecca retorted, smiling. She threw her arms around Sam and hugged him tightly.

"I got your e-mail," Sam added.

Rebecca was relieved. "I didn't think that you would come here."

Feeling left out, Dean stepped forward and extended his hand. "Dean. Older brother," he said, introducing himself, and Rebecca shook his hand.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Dean echoed.

Liz rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. "Liz. Older sister and this idiot's twin," she said, shaking Rebecca's hand, too.

"We're here to help," Sam added. "Whatever we can do."

Rebecca was grateful and moved aside. "Come in."

They walked inside the house, and Dean shut the door.

"Nice place," he commented, looking around at the bright and elegant entry hall.

"It's my parents'," Rebecca explained. "I was just crashing here for the long weekend when everything happened. I decided to take the semester off. I'm gonna stay until Zack's free."

"Where are your folks?" Sam asked.

"They live in Paris for half the year, so they're on their way home now for the trial," Rebecca answered, and they entered the kitchen. "Do you guys want a beer or something?" she asked.

"Hey-" Dean began smiling.

"No, thanks," Sam interrupted, ignoring Dean's scowl while Liz chuckled. "So, tell us what happened."

"Well, um, Zack came home, and he found Emily tied to a chair," Rebecca began, running a hand through her hair. "And she was beaten up and bloody, and she wasn't breathing." She blinked a few times, but a few tears escaped. "So, he called 911, and the police they showed up, and they arrested him." She sniffed hard before continuing, "But, the thing is, the only way that Zack could've killed Emily is if he was in two places at the same time. The police… they have a video. It's from the security tape from across the street. And it shows Zack coming home at 10:30. Now, Emily was killed just after that, but I swear, he was here with me, having a few beers until at least after midnight."

"You know, maybe we could see the crime scene," Sam requested. "Zack's house."

Dean and Liz were surprised by Sam's forwardness. "We could," Dean echoed with a frown.

"Why?" Rebecca asked, surprised, too. "I mean, what could you do?"

"Well, me, not much. But Dean and Liz are both cops," Sam lied, and both Dean and Liz laughed nervously.

"Detectives, actually," Dean corrected while silently plotting several different ways to get back at Sam for doing this to him, and Liz just nodded, thinking along the same lines as her twin.

"Really?" Rebecca asked, impressed, and both Dean and Liz nodded. "Where?"

"Bisbee, Arizona," Dean answered. "But we're off-duty now."

"You guys, it's so nice to offer, but I just I don't know," Rebecca said uncertainly.

"Bec, look, I know Zack didn't do this," Sam said seriously. "Now, we have to find a way to prove that he's innocent."

Rebecca nodded, convinced. "Okay. I'm gonna go get the keys." And she walked away, down the hall and out of sight.

"Oh, yeah, man, you're a real straight shooter with your friends," Dean growled, and both he and Liz glared at their little brother.

"Look, Zack and Becky need our help," Sam insisted.

Dean sighed. "I just don't think this is our kind of problem."

"Two places at once? We've looked into less," Sam pointed out.

Liz sighed and looked at Dean. "I hate to say it, Dean, but he does have a point."

Dean sighed and hung his head, defeated.

* * *

><p><p>

Dean, Liz, Sam, and Rebecca parked the car outside of Zack's place and got out.

"You're sure this is okay?" Rebecca asked Dean and Liz.

"Yeah. We're an officer of the law," Dean assured her, and they walked to the house.

Rebecca unlocked the door and Sam, Liz, and Dean entered and looked around; the furniture and walls of the house were smeared with blood. Rebecca stayed on the porch steps, nervous.

"Bec, you wanna wait outside?" Sam asked, noticing her reluctance.

Rebecca paused, and then shook her head. "No. I wanna help," she stated, ducking under the police tape and entered the house.

"Tell us what else the police said," Sam requested.

"Well, there's no sign of a break-in," Rebecca explained tearfully. "They say that Emily let her attacker in. The lawyers they're already talking about plea bargain." She looked around the room, once again crying. "Oh, God…"

"Look, Bec, if Zack didn't do this, it means someone else did," Sam said reassuringly. "Any idea who?"

Rebecca shook her head, and then remembered something. "Um, there was something, about a week before," she said slowly. "Somebody broke in here and stole some clothes Zack's clothes. The police they don't think it's anything. I mean, we're not that far from downtown. Sometimes people get robbed."

Sam walked away, looking around and thinking; meanwhile, both Liz and Dean moved to the open front door and saw the neighbor's dog, barking loudly, having heard it earlier. Rebecca came up behind him.

"You know, that used to be the sweetest dog," she commented.

"What happened?" Dean asked, curious.

Rebecca shrugged. "He just changed."

Dean and Liz exchanged a look. "Do you remember when he changed?" he asked.

Rebecca shrugged again. "I guess around the time of the murder."

Dean and Liz both looked at her, and then walked away.

* * *

><p><p>

Sam was standing in front of the fridge and was looking at a picture of himself, Zack, and Rebecca; Dean and Liz both walked over to him.

"So, the neighbor's dog went psycho right around the time Zack's girlfriend was killed," Dean reported.

Sam nodded. "Animals can have a sharp sense of the paranormal."

"Yeah, maybe Fido saw somethin'," Dean agreed and Liz nodded.

"So, you think maybe this is our kind of problem?" Sam asked slyly.

Dean quickly shook his head. "No. Probably not," he declared and then sighed. "But we should look at the security tape, you know, just to make sure," he added.

Sam nodded since that was a good idea. "Yeah."

Dean and Liz both agreed. "Yeah." And then Rebecca walked over to them. "So, the tape. The security footage… you think maybe your lawyers could get their hands on it, 'cause Liz and I just don't have that kind of jurisdiction," he suggested.

"I've already got it. I didn't wanna say something in front of the cops," Rebecca confessed, and both Dean and Liz laughed. "I stole it off the lawyer's desk. I just had to see it for myself," she added.

Dean grinned. "All right." And all four of them leave.

* * *

><p><p>

'Zack' was sitting on a bench across the street from a house, watching an Asian man, Alex, coming out of the house with his wife, Lindsay.

"I'll be home tomorrow night," he told her. "I'll make it up to you." And they kissed. Alex then got in his car and drove away. 'Zack' watched Lindsay go back in the house; he smiled wickedly, and his eyes glinted silver for a moment, before returning to normal.

* * *

><p><p>

Dean, Liz, Sam, and Rebecca were watching the security footage in the living room of the Warren's home.

"Here he comes," she said, and the tape showed 'Zack' entering his house.

"22:04, that's just after ten," Dean remarked, noting the timestamp. "You said time of death was about 10:30."

"Our lawyers hired some kind of video expert," Rebecca explained. "He says the tape's authentic. It wasn't tampered with."

Just then, Sam seemed to notice something on the tape. "Hey, Bec, can we take those beers now?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. "Oh, sure." And she got up to go to the kitchen.

"Hey," Sam said suddenly, and she turned around. "Maybe some sandwiches, too?"

Rebecca gave him a bemused look. "What do you think this is, Hooters?" and she left the room.

"I wish," Dean muttered, and then he and Liz walked over to Sam. "What is it?" he asked.

"Did you see something?" Liz asked.

"Check this out," Sam said, rewinding the tape, and then replayed it; one of the frames showed 'Zack' looking directly at the camera, and his eyes were silver. Sam paused the tape.

"Well, maybe it's just a camera flare," Dean guessed, but he didn't really believe it.

"That's not like any camera flare I've ever seen," Liz stated.

"A lot of cultures believe that a photograph can catch a glimpse of the soul," Sam said after a moment.

Dean nodded. "Right."

"Remember that dog that was freakin' out?" Sam asked. "Maybe he saw this thing. Maybe this is some kind of dark double of Zack's, something that looks like him but isn't him."

"Like a Doppelganger," Dean suggested.

Sam nodded, thinking along the same lines. "Yeah. It'd sure explain how he was two places at once."

"Certainly looks like it," Liz agreed.

* * *

><p><p>

Alex came home and entered the house, calling out to his wife. "Honey, it's me. The client cancelled at the last minute." He set down his briefcase and keys and looked around. "I called. Why didn't you answer?" he inquired, but Lindsay didn't respond. "Lindsay?" He looked around again. "Lindsay?"

Alex turned around and saw blood spattered on the wall. "Lindsay?" he shouted, moving to the nearest door and opened it to a nearby room and found Lindsay; she was tied in a chair, beaten and bloody. He rushed over to her and took the gag out of her mouth. "It's ok, Lindsay, it's me."

"Please, don't hurt me anymore!" Lindsay begged, leaning away from him and crying, almost scared to death of her own husband. "Leave me alone!"

Alex stared at her, confused, and then heard a noise in the other room and left. In the living room, the man looked around, not finding anything; suddenly, he turned and saw himself, standing there with a baseball bat. Alex was puzzled; the double's eyes glinted silver, and then he hit Alex over the head with the bat, knocking him out.

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><p><p>

A/N: Oh boy, this doesn't look good for him. R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: EVIL TWIN ALERT!

Supernatural: Skin

A/N: Greeting, devoted fans. I know that it's been a while, but I've got finals coming up soon, and so my attention has been on getting ready.

Let's get the ball rolling!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER TWO: EVIL TWIN ALERT! <strong>

Dean. Liz, and Sam parked their car behind Zack's house and got out.

"Alright, so what are we doin' here at 5:30 in the morning?" Dean asked tiredly, clutching a cup of coffee in his hand, and Liz leaned against the car, yawning.

"I realized something," Sam said, looking around. "The videotape shows the killer goin' in, but not comin' out."

"So, he came out the back door?" Dean asked, leaning against the hood of his car.

"Right. So, there should be a trail to follow," Sam said, examining the area. "A trail the police would never pursue."

"'Cause they think the killer never left. And they caught your friend Zack inside," Dean guessed before muttering to himself. "I still don't know what we're doin' here at 5:30 in the morning."

"I second that," Liz agreed, exhausted.

Sam looked around the outside of the building, and noticed blood smeared on a nearby telephone pole. "Blood. Somebody came this way," he said.

"Yeah, but the trail ends," Dean pointed out, looking around the area near the car. "I don't see anything over here."

"Me either," Liz agreed, just then, an ambulance drove past them, and they exchanged a look.

* * *

><p>Dean, Liz, and Sam observed the scene as Alex was handcuffed and was taken to a police car.<p>

"What happened?" Dean asked a nearby woman.

"He tried to kill his wife," the woman answered. "Tied her up and beat her."

Sam glanced at her. "Really?"

"I used to see him going to work in the morning," the woman explained. "He'd wave, say hello. He seemed like such a nice guy." And they watched as Alex was taken away by the police.

* * *

><p>Sam walked around the side of the house, looking around; he looked inside two garbage cans but found nothing. He then moved to the front of the house, where Dean and Liz met up with him after asking around for info.<p>

"Hey," Dean said, and Sam turned around. "Remember when I said this wasn't our kind of problem?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"Definitely our kind of problem," Dean confessed.

"And it's a doozy," Liz added.

"What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

"Well, we were just talked to the patrolman who was first on the scene, heard this guy, Alex's story," Dean answered. "Apparently the dude was driving home from a business trip when his wife was attacked."

"So, he was two places at once," Sam said, puzzle pieces falling into place, and in an unexpected way.

Dean nodded. "Exactly," he agreed. "Then he sees himself in the house. Police think he's a nut job."

"Which means this is more than just a dark twin," Liz added.

"Two dark doubles attacking loved ones in exactly the same way," said Sam, thinking.

"Could be the same thing doin' it, too," Dean suggested.

Sam thought for a second. "Shape shifter?" he suggested, and both Dean and Liz shrugged. "Something that can make itself look like anyone?"

"Every culture in the world has a shape shifter lore," Dean said. "You know, legends of creatures that can transform themselves into animals or other men."

Sam nodded. "Right, like werewolves."

"Nearly every Native American culture within the U.S. have legends about skin walkers, too," Liz added.

"We've got two attacks within blocks of each other," Dean stated. "I'm guessin' we've got a shape shifter prowlin' the neighborhood."

"Let me ask you this… in all this shape shifter lore, can any of them fly?" Sam asked.

Dean and Liz both shrugged again. "Not that we know of."

"I picked up a trail here," Sam explained. "Someone ran out the back of this building and headed off this way."

Dean nodded. "Just like your friend's house."

"Yeah. And, just like at Zack's house, the trail suddenly ends," Sam added. "I mean, whatever it is just disappeared."

"Well, there's another way to go…down," Dean suggested, and they all looked down and noticed a manhole.

Liz grimaced. "Great, a sewer."

* * *

><p>Dean, Liz, and Sam climbed down the manhole and looked around.<p>

"I bet this runs right by Zack's house, too," Sam remarked. "The shape shifter could be using the sewer system to get around."

"I think you're right," Dean agreed, noticing something on the ground. "Look at this." And they bent down and examined a pile of blood and skin on the ground, and the sight of it left them disgusted.

"Oh, yuck!" Liz moaned, covering her mouth and nose with her hand because of the stench.

"Is this from his victims?" Sam asked, wrinkling his nose.

Dean took out a pocketknife and held up some of the skin. "You know, I just had a sick thought," he remarked. "When the shape shifter changes shape maybe it sheds."

Sam and Liz both made a face at the thought. "That is sick."

Dean nodded and put the bloody pile back on the ground.

* * *

><p>Back above ground, Dean and Liz both opened the trunk of the Impala and took out some weapons.<p>

"Well, one thing I learned from Dad, is that no matter what kind of shape shifter it is, there's one sure way to kill it," he commented, opening a box that was full of silver bullets.

"Silver bullet to the heart," Sam said, remembering.

Dean and Liz both nodded. "That's right."

Just then, Sam's cell phone rang, and he answered it. "This is Sam."

_`"Where are you?"`_ Rebecca asked.

"We're near Zack's, we're just checkin' some things out," Sam answered.

_`"Well, look, Sam, just stop, 'cause I really don't need your help anymore,"`_ Rebecca said coldly, suddenly angry.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asked, surprised by the sudden change.

_`"I told the lawyers that we went to the crime scene,"`_ Rebecca answered.

Sam scoffed, surprised. "Why would you do that?" he asked.

_`"Well, I told them that we were with two police officers,"`_ Rebecca explained angrily. _`"And they checked it out, and they told me that there is no Detective Dean Winchester, or even a Detective Liz Winchester."`_

"Beck-" Sam began.

_`"No, I don't understand why you would lie to me about something like that,"`_ Rebecca interrupted, furious.

"We're tryin' to help," Sam protested.

_`"Oh, trying to help?"`_ Rebecca asked, angry and hurt. _`"Do you realize that that was a sealed crime scene? This could have just ruined Zack's case."`_

"Bec, I'm sorry, but-" Sam said, trying to apologize.

_`"No, goodbye, Sam,"`_ Rebecca snapped, hanging up. Dean and Liz both walked over to Sam, who was looking disappointed.

"I hate to say it, but that's exactly what I'm talkin' about," Dean told him seriously. "You lie to your friends because if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just…it'd be easier if-"

"If I was like you," Sam interrupted, dejected.

"Hey, man, like it or not, we are not like other people," Dean said, shrugging. "But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig it ain't without perks," he added, holding up a gun. Sam took it and put it in the back of his jeans as they walked away.

* * *

><p>Back in the sewers, Dean, Liz, and Sam were looking around with their flashlights and guns.<p>

"I think we're close to its lair," Dean said, noticing a skin pile on a pipe near Sam's head.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked, not seeing the pile yet, but Liz did and she made a face.

"Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face," Dean informed him.

Sam turned and finally saw the pile of blood and skin on a nearby pipe. "Oh, God!" he moaned, disgusted as he leaned away from it.

They looked around the area and saw a pile of clothes in a corner.

"Looks like it's lived here for a while," Dean remarked and Liz nodded, agreeing.

"Certainly looks like it."

"Who knows how many murders he's gotten away with?" Sam wondered as he turned and saw the shape shifter, still in the form of Alex, standing directly behind Dean and Liz, his eyes flashing sliver in the light. "Dean! Liz!"

Dean and Liz both turned and they got punched by the shape shifter; they fell to the ground, and the shape shifter ran away. Sam shot after it a few times but misses; he then moved over to Dean and Liz, helping them up.

"Get the son of a bitch!" Dean ordered, clutching his left shoulder, having slammed it onto the pipe upon falling, and Liz was clutching her right shoulder.

They all took off after the shape shifter.

* * *

><p>Back on the street, the shape shifter came out of the manhole and ran off; seconds later, Sam, Liz, and Dean came out and looked around, but there was no sign of their target.<p>

"All right, let's split up," Sam suggested.

Dean nodded. "All right, I'll meet you both around the other side."

Sam and Liz both nodded. "Okay." And they walked away in separate directions.

* * *

><p>In an alley, Dean was looking around, with his gun drawn, causing passersby to turn away, frightened.<p>

* * *

><p>Sam and Liz were also searching, while keeping their guns inside their jackets.<p>

* * *

><p>Dean was still looking frantically, when a dark shape up from behind and slammed a piece of wood into the back of his head, and everything went dark.<p>

* * *

><p>Sam and Liz were waiting, and Dean came up from behind.<p>

"Hey," he called out, and both Sam and Liz turned around. "Anything?"

Sam shook his head, frustrated. "No. He's gone."

"And he could be looking like anyone now," Liz added, annoyed.

Dean sighed. "All right, let's get back to the car."

Sam and Liz both crossed the street while Dean stopped, waiting for a passing car to drive by; as the car passed, Dean's eyes momentarily glowed silver.

* * *

><p>'Dean', Liz, and Sam stopped at the car.<p>

"You think he found another way underground?" Sam asked, referring to the shape shifter.

"Yeah, probably," 'Dean' said, going to the trunk. "You got the keys?"

Sam started to pull them out of his pocket, stopped as something odd occurred to him, exchanged a look with Liz, who nodded, and then turned around. "Hey, didn't Dad once face a shape shifter in San Antonio?" Sam asked.

"Oh, that was Austin," 'Dean' answered. "It turned out not to be a shape shifter, it was a thought form. A psychic projection, remember?"

Sam nodded. "Oh, right. Here ya go." He threw 'Dean' the keys and both he and Liz walked away; 'Dean' caught the keys with his left hand and opened the trunk, observing all the weapons and chuckling.

"Don't move!" Sam ordered, and 'Dean' turned and saw that both Sam and Liz were pointing the guns at him. "What have you done with him?" he demanded.

"Where's Dean?" Liz snapped.

"Dude, Liz, chill. It's me, all right?" 'Dean' insisted, his hands raised.

"No, I don't think so," Sam retorted. "Where is he?"

"Dean and I are twins, and I can tell when something's off," Liz added, glaring. "So where _is_ our brother?"

"You're about to shoot him," 'Dean' pointed out. "Sam, Liz, calm down."

"You caught those keys with your left," Sam stated. "Your shoulder was hurt."

"Yeah, it's better," 'Dean' responded. "What do you want me to do, cry?"

"Dean's right handed, _not_ left-handed," Liz snapped, eyes flashing with anger.

Sam nodded. "You're not our brother," he added.

"Why don't you pull the trigger, then? Hm?" 'Dean' insisted. "'Cause you're not sure. Dude, you know me."

Sam cocked the gun. "Don't."

'Dean' stared at them both, annoyed, and then suddenly hit Sam twice with a crowbar, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Sam!" Liz cried out and ducked when 'Dean' attempted to hit her next, but lost her gun; she managed to avoid the crowbar a second time, and kicked it out of his hand, leading into a quick fighting match that was part boxing and part karate. Dropping to the ground, she kicked the legs out from under 'Dean' and pounced, flipping out a silver blade and pressed it against his throat. "All right, scumbag; you got five seconds to tell me _where_ my twin brother is or I cut your throat here and now."

'Dean' grunted and winced at the sight and touch of the blade, and then suddenly threw himself forward, knocking Liz to the ground, and he pinned her while pulling a syringe out of his pocket. "Nice try, Liz," he scolded, wrapping a hand around her throat, "but it's time for you to have a little nap, sis."

"No!" Liz chocked, trying to free herself as he jabbed the needle into her neck, and injected the drug into her. "No…" she then groaned as the drug took effect instantly, and she blacked out.

'Dean' sighed and rocked back on the balls of his feet, staring at her. "Normally, someone like you would die, Liz, but I've got plans for both you _and_ your brothers."

* * *

><p>AN: Uh oh! Evil twin alert! Evil twin alert! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: A Rock and a Hard Place

Supernatural: Skin

A/N: Hello all you happy people, it's me again with a new update.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER THREE: A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE<strong>

With a groan, Sam woke up in a dingy, dusty room, discovering that his neck and hands were bound to a wooden post, and that his jacket was missing; turning his head slightly, he saw Liz tied up across from him, still unconscious, and her jacket was missing, too.

"Liz!" he hissed, but she didn't react, the drug was still in her system. "Liz!"

The shape-shifter, who was still looking like Dean, was nearby and coiling rope on his arm, when he saw that Sam was awake; he walked over to Sam, stared at him for a moment, and then backhanded him.

Sam groaned. "Where is he? Where's Dean?" he demanded, glaring. "And what did you do to Liz?"

"I wouldn't worry about him," the shape-shifter told him. "I'd worry about you. And as for Liz?" He went over to her, grabbed her chin to check that she was still alive, and then let her go. "She's just sleeping thanks to a drug I came up with when I was a doctor," he said and pulled a silver object, in a plastic bag, out of his pocket: it was a Celtic promise ring that Sam recognized instantly.

"That's my mom's ring! Give it back!" he ordered.

"No can do, I'm keeping it," the shape-shifter stated, pocketing it again.

"Where is my brother?" Sam demanded again, relieved that Liz was still alive and was determined to get the ring back.

"You don't really wanna know," the shape-shifter stated, grabbing a blanket, which he unfolded, and then gently placed it over Liz, hiding her from view as he chuckled. "I swear, the more I learn about you and your family, and I thought I came from a bad background," he remarked, walking past Sam to pick up a bag in which he placed the rope inside.

"What do you mean, learn?" Sam asked as the shape-shifter walked past him again.

The shape-shifter stopped as he grabbed his head in pain and grimaced as a half-dozen voices, mostly Dean's echoed inside his mind. Sam stared at the shape-shifter, confused; the shape-shifter relaxed as the voices faded, and he looked at Sam.

"He's sure got issues with you," he remarked. "You got to go to college. He and Liz had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home with Liz," he corrected. "With Dad. You don't think we had dreams of our own? But Dad needed us. Where the hell were you?"

"Where is my brother?" Sam asked again, refusing to believe anything that the shape-shifter said.

The shape-shifter leaned in close to Sam. "I'm your brother," he said seriously. "See, deep down, I'm just jealous, and so is Liz. You got friends. You could have a life. Liz and I? We know we're both freaks. And sooner or later, everybody's gonna leave us." And he backed away.

"What are you talkin' about?" Sam asked, confused again.

"You left," the shape-shifter explained. "Hell, Liz and I did everything Dad asked us to, and he ditched us, too. No explanation, nothin', just poof. Left us with your sorry ass. But, still, this life? It's not without its perks." He laughed as he picked up another blanket and walked back over to Sam. "I meet the nicest people. Like little Becky," he remarked. "You know, Dean would bang her if he had the chance. Let's see what happens." He then smiled and covered Sam with the blanket.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the door, and Rebecca came downstairs to open it to find the shape-shifter, still in the form of Dean. "Oh. Hi," she said sarcastically.<p>

"I know what you're gonna say," 'Dean' said quickly.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you do?" she asked, skeptical.

"Well, no, not exactly," 'Dean' admitted. "But I can take a guess. Get off my porch?" he asked, pointing toward the street, and she laughed in spite of herself.

"That's about right," Rebecca agreed.

"I admit it, we lied," 'Dean' confessed. "Thought I'd try to explain myself. Both Sam and Liz told me not to come, but, you know, I thought, what the hell, I have to try." And he smiled hopefully.

* * *

><p>After he was certain that the shape-shifter was gone, Sam managed to move around enough to gat the blanket off his head and was now trying to get out of his ropes but he kept failing.<p>

"Damn it," he cursed, and tried again; it was then that he became aware of movement in another area of the room, and heard someone coughing.

_`"That better be you, Sam, and not that freak of nature,"`_ Dean groaned, his voice muffled since he was also covered by a blanket.

Sam laughed, relieved. "Yeah, it's me," he answered as Dean managed to uncover himself from the blanket and started to undo his ropes. "He went to Rebecca's, lookin' like you," he added.

"Well, he's not stupid," Dean joked. "He picked the handsome one."

Sam gave him an annoyed look, and then continued to work through his ropes.

"Where's Liz?" Dean asked after a few minutes.

"Knocked out," Sam answered. "Thing said it drugged her or something. Took Mom's ring, too."

"Bastard," Dean groaned. Sam agreed completely.

* * *

><p>Rebecca and 'Dean' were sitting in front of the fireplace.<p>

"So, you're saying that there's something out there that made itself look like my brother?" Rebecca asked, having just hear 'Dean' explanation of the shape-shifter.

'Dean' nodded. "Mmhmm."

"What'd you call it?" Rebecca asked, unsure if she was hearing right.

"A shape-shifter," 'Dean answered, and Rebecca laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, maybe we're crazy," he admitted. "But what if we're not? I mean, look, you said it yourself that Zack was in two places at once. Now, tell me how that can happen."

"Okay, so, this thing it can make itself look like anybody?" Rebecca asked, deciding to take a leap of faith.

"That's right," 'Dean' agreed, and she chuckled.

"Well, what is it, like a genetic freak?" Rebecca inquired.

'Dean' laughed. "Maybe," he admitted. "Evolution is about mutation, right? So, maybe this thing was born human but was different. Hideous and hated. Until he learned to become someone else," he added in a slightly cold tone.

Rebecca looked away, uncomfortable; 'Dean's' eyes glinted silver behind her back, and he smiled.

* * *

><p>Dean and Sam were still working their way out of their ropes.<p>

"Yeah, that's the thing," Sam said, having just given Dean an update of the situation. "He didn't just look like you, he was you. Or he was becoming you."

Dean finally worked his way out of the ropes. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sam admitted, "it was like he was downloading your thoughts and memories."

Dean thought about that. "You mean, like the Vulcan mind meld?" he guessed.

"Yeah, somethin' like that," Sam agreed, thinking of how the shape-shifter had twitched. "I mean, maybe that's why he doesn't just kill us."

Finally freed, Dean got up and walked over to Sam. "Maybe he needs to keep us alive," he suggested. "Psychic connection." And he started untying Sam's ropes.

"Hands," Sam requested. "Yeah. Come on, wake up Liz, 'cause we gotta go. He's probably at Rebecca's already."

Nodding, Dean untied Sam's wrists and then went over to where his twin was, removing the blanket. "Ah jeeze, Liz," he grumbled as he crouched down and began shaking her. "Come on, sis, wake up."

Liz groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "Dean?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah it's me," Dean assured her as Sam came over to help untie the ropes, having found his and Liz's jackets tossed into a corner, and then pulled her to her feet so that they could finally escape.

Dean, Liz, with some help, and Sam climbed out of a sewer opening on the side of a building.

"Come on," Sam said as he and Dean supported Liz, who was still a bit out of it. She was also furious that the shape-shifter had taken their mom's ring, which she always wore on her right hand since the age of sixteen when their dad had given it to her for safe keeping. "We gotta find a phone, call the police."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean protested. "You're gonna put an APB out on me."

Sam shrugged. "Sorry."

Dean sighed. "This way." And they started running down the street.

* * *

><p>"It's funny. I kind of understand him. He's all alone close to no one. All he wants is for someone to love him. He's like me," 'Dean' remarked, making Rebecca very uncomfortable. "You know, everybody needs a little human touch now and then. It's so hard to be different," he added and tucked some of Rebecca's hair behind her ear, and she shrugged away.<p>

"You should go," Rebecca told him, but 'Dean' leaned in and whispered something in her ear; she was horrified and stood up. "You are disgusting! Just get the hell out of here!" she shouted.

"Rebecca, just calm down," 'Dean requested, standing up.

"Calm down? What is wrong with you?" Rebecca demanded angrily.

"What's wrong with me?" 'Dean' snapped back. "What's wrong with you?"

Glaring, Rebecca walked to the phone. "I'm calling the police," she told him.

'Dean's' face went dark as he walked over to her and threw the phone to the floor; she screamed and tried to run away, but he tripped her and she fell to the floor. He straddled her legs and began tying her hands with the telephone cord. "Give me your hands!" he shouted as she continued to scream. "Shut up!" and he hit her across the face.

* * *

><p>A short while later, Rebecca was tied in a chair, beaten and bloody.<p>

"You're a nice girl, Rebecca," the shape-shifter commented, dropping a chain on the table that was also holding his stuff. "I mean, I liked you. Believe me that makes this harder." He sighed, held up a knife, and examined it. "But I gotta do what I gotta do."

He moved toward her; suddenly, they heard a crash come from another room of the house, and Rebecca screamed but the shape-shifter covered her mouth and held the knife to her throat. "Shh."

* * *

><p>The S.W.A.T. team was searching the house, and while their backs were turned, the shape-shifter crossed the hall and went into another room.<p>

He closed the door, looking around frantically before moving to a set of doors leading out to a balcony, and struggling with the lock. Just as he opened the doors, the S.W.A.T team entered.

"Freeze! Drop the knife!" one of the S.W.A.T officers ordered. "Drop the knife! Drop the knife!"

The shape-shifter slowly turned and threw the knife at the police officer, and the rest of the team began shooting; he kicked one of the men, then went outside and jumped off the balcony, onto the grass below.

"Come on! Come on! Go! Go!"

The shape-shifter ran off, while the team continued to shoot and missed him several times.

* * *

><p>Once safe in the sewers, the shape-shifter stopped walking, looking weak and was breathing hard; he took off his jacket and shirt, and then fell to his knees. He groaned and screamed in pain as he continued to shed his skin, nails, teeth and everything else that defined him as Dean.<p>

* * *

><p>Dean, Liz, and Sam were standing in front of a store window, and watching a news report that was being shown on a display of televisions.<p>

_`"An anonymous tip led police to a home in the Central West End, where a S.W.A.T team discovered a local woman bound and gagged,"`_ said the reporter._ `"Her attacker, a white male, approximately twenty-four to thirty years of age, was discovered hiding in her home."` _ and a sketch of Dean appeared on the screen.

"Man! That's not even a good picture," Dean complained bitterly.

Sam looked around cautiously. "It's good enough," he said quietly and walked away.

"Man!" Dean moaned as he and Liz followed Sam.

* * *

><p>The three Winchesters headed down an alleyway, and Dean stepped into a puddle.<p>

"Come on," he groaned.

"Quit complaining, Dean," said Liz, who now had a pounding headache due to the drug that was slowly leaving her system.

"They said attempted murder," Sam pointed out. "At least we know—"

"I didn't kill her," Dean interrupted, frustrated.

Sam sighed. "We'll check with Rebecca in the morning, see if she's all right."

"All right, but first I wanna find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him," Dean declared.

"And I want to get mom's ring back," Liz added, and they stopped walking.

"We have no weapons," Sam stated. "No silver bullets. We can't just go and—"

"Sam, the guy's walkin' around with my face, okay, it's a little personal, and I wanna find him," Dean growled, desperately wanting revenge.

"Okay, fine. Where do we look?" Sam asked.

"Well, we could start with the sewers," Dean suggested.

Liz grimaced. "Oh great."

"We have no weapons. He stole our guns, we need more," Sam reminded him and then remembered something. "The car?"

Dean nodded, thinking along the same lines. "I'm bettin' he drove over to Rebecca's."

"The news said he fled on foot. I bet it's still parked there," Sam added.

"The thought of him drivin' my car," said Dean, upset again.

"All right, come on," Sam said and they started walking.

"It's killin' me," Dean complained.

"Let it go," Sam insisted.

* * *

><p>Dean, Liz, and Sam ran down the side the house and turned around the corner to find the Impala parked just up the road.<p>

Dean was relieved. "Oh, there she is! Finally, something went right tonight." And they started toward it when a police car appeared and parked next to Dean's car. "Oh, crap." They turned around, but another police car was parked a few yards away. "This way, this way." And both he and Liz moved toward a fence, climbing up it.

"You go," Sam told them, remaining behind. "I'll hold 'em off."

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, surprised. "They'll catch you."

"Don't do this, Sam," Liz protested.

"Look, they can't hold me," Sam reminded them. "Just go, keep out of sight. Meet me at Rebecca's," he added, and with exasperated sighs, both Dean and Liz started to climb over the fence. "Dean, Liz." And they stopped and turned around. "Stay out of the sewers alone." Dean and Liz said nothing and hopped over the fence. "I mean it!"

_`"Yeah, yeah!"`_

"Don't move!" a S.W.A.T officer ordered, his gun fixed on Sam. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em." And Sam raised his hands in the air.

* * *

><p>AN: Talk about an awkward situation. R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: The Evil Twin Returns

Supernatural: Skin

A/N: Well, here's the final chapter and sorry about the late update, but I've been busy here in Happy Valley, and so let me know about what you think about my stories.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _Supernatural_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FOUR: THE EVIL TWIN RETURNS<strong>

The next day found Dean and Liz outside the Impala. They had found one of their sets of spare keys and another jacket and boots for Dean back at their motel. They cautiously returned to their car once the sun had risen and began to retrieve weapons, specifically guns with silver bullets.

"I'm sorry, Sam," Dean mumbled. "But you know us… we just can't wait."

"Oh yeah," Liz agreed, and they closed the trunk and walked away.

* * *

><p>Finding the shape-shifter's lair reminded Liz of a kleptomaniac crossed with a freak show. The chamber was lighted by numerous candles, making it harder to ignore the revolting piles of skin and blood on the floor. Liz wrinkled her nose as she stepped around them and wandered over to a table covered in trinkets the thing had probably taken from each victim's house.<p>

Just then, a small noise echoed through the chamber, catching Dean's attention. He signaled silently to his twin and they moved closer to where the noise had come from. It was a figure covered with a blanket; Dean removed it and underneath —

"Rebecca?" Dean asked, surprised and exchanged a look with Liz. If Rebecca was tied up down here, then that could only mean one thing.

Sam was in trouble and he didn't even know it.

* * *

><p>Sam was sitting, having a beer, and was talking with 'Rebecca', who was really the shape-shifter.<p>

"So, say this shape shifter is real," 'Rebecca' said, walking to the couch with two beer bottles. "By the way, you know you're crazy? But, um, say it is real. How do you stop it?" she asked, replacing Sam's empty beer bottle with a new one.

"Thanks," Sam said, sighing. "Silver bullet to the heart." And she chuckled.

"You are crazy," 'Rebecca' stated, and she hit him over the head with the empty bottle; Sam grunted and, for the second time in two days, fell over, unconscious as the shape-shifter's eyes momentarily glowed silver.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" Dean asked Rebecca as Liz untied the ropes around her wrists and ankles.<p>

"I was walking home, and everything just went white," Rebecca told them, crying. "Someone hit me over the head, and I wound up here just in time to see that thing turn into me." Her eyes were wide as she stared up at Dean. "How is that even possible?"

"Okay, okay. It's okay," Dean assured her as he finished untying her. "C'mon. Can you walk?" he asked, and she nodded. "Okay, we've gotta hurry. Sam went to see you."

"And fast," Liz added as they left the chamber.

* * *

><p>The shape-shifter, once again disguised as Dean, finished tying up Sam's hands and feet, and then started walking around the kitchen.<p>

"What are you gonna do to me?" Sam asked.

"Oh, I'm not gonna do anything," the shape-shifter told him. "Dean and Liz will, though."

"They'll never catch —" Sam broke off, confused. "What do you mean Liz will? You're only one shifter."

"Oh, doesn't matter," the shape-shifter said casually. "Murder in the first of their own brother? They'll be hunted the rest of their lives, especially after they find this," he added, holding up the bag containing Mary Winchester's ring for a moment before putting it back in his pocket.

"I must say, I will be sorry to lose this skin," the shape-shifter remarked after dragging Sam into the room and near the pool table. "Your brother's got a lot of good qualities. You should appreciate him more than you do." And he poured himself a drink. "Cheers."

He downed the drink, picked up a large knife from the kitchen, and stuck it into the edge of the pool table, clearly waiting for the right moment. Sam, however, wasn't going to wait. The moment the creature was close enough, he lifted his legs and kicked it hard. The shape-shifter fell to the ground with a grunt.

Sam quickly sat up and moved his hands with the rope between them up and down on the blade of the knife until the blade sliced through and his hands were free. The shape-shifter had managed to stand again by this point, and Sam took the knife and swung at him. Sadly, the shifter grabbed Sam's arm in mid-swing and twisted it, causing Sam to fall to the floor.

"Oh, you son of a bitch," the shape-shifter growled as Sam got back up, and they started to fight. Sam tried to pin the shape-shifter down. "Not bad, little brother," he said as they broke apart.

"You're not him," Sam growled as they continued to fight; the shape-shifter finally threw Sam into a bookshelf, and it fell apart, causing books to fall on top of Sam, knocking him to the floor.

"Even when we were kids, I always kicked your ass," the shape-shifter added as he grabbed a pool cue and swung it at Sam, only he missed and hit a light fixture.

It took several more minutes of fighting before they fell onto a coffee table, which collapsed underneath them. The shape-shifter pinned Sam to the floor and started to choke him.

"Hey!"

'Dean' looked up and saw both the real Dean and Liz, and got off of Sam at once, backing towards the nearest wall. Both Dean and Liz aimed their guns at the shape-shifter, and each took a single shot almost simultaneously.

The shape-shifter didn't stand a chance. Both bullets hit his heart and he collapsed, dead instantly. Rebecca emerged from behind the twins and spotted Sam on the floor, still gasping for breath.

"Sam!"

She rushed over to him while Dean and Liz quietly walked over to the shape-shifter's body. While Liz retrieved the bag holding their mom's ring, Dean yanked his necklace from around the shape-shifter's neck and nodded knowingly at Sam and Rebecca.

* * *

><p>Dean and Liz were by the car, looking at a map as Rebecca and Sam came outside.<p>

"So, this is what you do?" Rebecca asked, amazed. "You, your brother, and your sister… you hunt down these kinds of things?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I can't believe it. I mean, I saw it with my own eyes," Rebecca said, impressed. "And, I mean, does everybody at school… nobody knows that you do this?"

Sam shook his head. "No."

"Did Jessica know?" Rebecca asked.

"No, she didn't," Sam answered sadly.

Rebecca gave him a sad smile. "Must be lonely."

"Oh, no. No, it's not so bad," Sam told her, nodding to Dean and Liz. "Anyway, what can I do? It's my family." Rebecca laughed.

"Well, you know, Zack and me, and everybody at school we really miss you," she said, and she hugged him.

"Yeah, me too," Sam said sadly, and they pulled away.

"Well, will you call sometime?" Rebecca asked.

Sam shrugged. "It might not be for a little while," he admitted.

Rebecca nodded and waved goodbye to Dean and Liz, and they waved back, and she went back inside the house.

Sam walked over to the car.

"So, what about your friend, Zack?" Dean asked.

"Cops are blamin' this Dean Winchester guy for Emily's murder," Sam said in a sarcastic tone. "They found the murder weapon in the guy's lair, and Zack's clothes stained with her blood. Now they're thinking maybe the surveillance tape was tampered with. Yeah, Becca says Zack will be released soon." He smiled, and both Dean and Liz rolled their eyes and got in the car.

* * *

><p>"Sorry, man," Dean told Sam sometime later as the Impala sped away from St. Louis.<p>

"About what?" Sam asked from the back seat.

"I really wish things could be different, you know?" Dean said, honestly. "I wish you could just be... Joe College."

"We both do," Liz added, turning so she could look back at Sam.

"No, that's okay," Sam assured them. "You know," he added a few moments later, "the truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in." Liz stared at her younger brother and wondered at the shadow that crossed his eyes as he looked out the window. She had heard those words from a much younger Sam, but she'd always thought he'd said them because of how much they moved. But now…

"Well, that's 'cause you're a freak," Dean teased and Liz immediately turned to him, swatting his shoulder harder than usual and making him wince.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam said sarcastically, and Liz knew the moment was gone.

"Well, I'm a freak, too, and so is Liz," Dean stated, and Liz rolled her eyes. "We're right there with ya, all the way."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I know you both are," he agreed, his mood already improving.

There was a long moment of silence.

"You know, I gotta say I'm sorry I'm gonna miss it," Dean said wistfully.

"Miss what?" Liz asked, confused.

"How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?" Dean asked, and Liz burst out laughing. Dean looked back at Sam and they smiled at each other through the rear-view mirror before Dean pressed on the gas and the Impala sped away and into the distance.

* * *

><p>AN: Another one done. R&R everyone!


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